Hunters
and Wargs are natural enemies. Or maybe the best of friends...?

PvMP AS A HUNTER

Fighting in
the Ettenmoors,
even when part of a large freep ("Free People") raid,
requires a setup
and strategies
more closely related to soloing than to
grouping. Creeps (monster players) do not follow scripted AI
routines, so threat is not an issue. Crowd control and
stealth play a much larger role in PvMP than in the rest of the game.
Power is seldom an issue, since most fights are brutally
brief, and if you've been in one place long enough to burn through most
of your power, chances are the creeps know about it and are on their
way to say howdy. You're there for the same reason they are,
but you have better stuff than they do.

All on-level freeps hit the
Ettenmoors with a distinct
advantage over
the creeps. At level 65, freeps typically have excellent gear
and dozens of useful skills. They have had a significant
amount of time learning how their character works, what their skills
can do, etc. Creeps, on the other hand, have no gear and
start the game with only a small handful of skills. They have
a few modest potions and rely almost entirely on player skill and
attacking in numbers.

Most creeps cannot hit as hard
as Hunters. That is
not to say they aren't dangerous - they are. Some of them are VERY
dangerous. But most do not have the range or consistent
striking power of a Hunter. Range is the 'Moors Hunter's best
friend, and intelligent application of crowd control measures helps
ensure that the creeps stay at a safe range. Mobility is the
less-attractive-but-still-important sibling of Range, and most Hunters
use hit-and-run tactics to stay alive - fire a big shot, run, turn and
auto-attack, run. Standing in one spot long enough to get off
a full rotation of shots is a good way to earn a ticket to the respawn
circle. The Fleetness buff (and Improved Fleetness if traited
5 deep in the Huntsman line) allows for fast, accurate shots on the run
without the loss of focus, and this can be make-or-break when fighting
in the 'Moors.

Simply put, hitting hard wins fights. Burn Hot is no longer
the kamikaze skill it used to be, and when used with Needful Haste and
Heart-seeker, it can land some devastating hits in short order. Many
Hunters like to use this 1-2-3 hit from Camouflage, surprising their
foes with a massive blast and then following it up with a series of
hammering shots. Creeps hate this combo - evidence enough that it is
effective.

Cry of the Predator works well
on sneaking, pouncing Warg
Stalkers, and Bard's Arrow works on everything. Unlike normal
PvE mobs, creeps do not flee in a panic when feared. They
are, however, drastically slowed and unable to attack until the fear is
cured. Distracting Shot provides a nice 10-second window of
opportunity in which the Hunter can accomplish all manner of terrible
things. And don't forget those combat traps and Rain of
Thorns! Immobilized enemies make safe targets, at least for a
few seconds.

Stealth also plays an important
role here. The
Camouflage skill is rather limited in utility for PvE, but in the
Ettenmoors it is perfect for setting up ambushes and occasionally
evading foes. Find a good position, stealth up and wait for
opportunity to present itself. The Hunter can track enemies
while stealthed, but movement or attacking will drop him out of stealth
instantly. Elf and Hobbit Hunters have a stealth advantage
over the other Men and Dwarves, as they can trait for racial stealth,
enabling them to sneak around and find the good spots without being
seen by the enemy.

Hunters are also good
anti-stealth. When properly
traited,
they can track sneaking Warg Stalkers, and even without traiting they
can track non-stealthed humanoid prey. Rain of Thorns and
Rain of Arrows are also fine anti-stealth tools, as they can be used to
expose sneaking Warg Stalkers who may be standing near other creeps,
waiting to pounce.

A couple of cautionary caveats:
firstly, Hunters are
particularly choice targets for most creeps because of their
threatening DPS and their relative squishiness. Solo Hunters
will have a rough time in the 'Moors. They might prevail in
one-on-one spars, and particularly skilled Hunters might even manage a
2-on-1 fight, but without a good-sized group backing them up they will
spend most of their time running away and/or getting pounced by
sprinting wargs.

Secondly, Heartseeker, the rock
star of the Hunter skills,
paints a
huge, glowing reticle on its target, which can be easily spotted by the
creep player and anyone standing near him. If you want to
land a Heartseeker, start the induction in an open field where there is
no chance for the target to break line of sight, or when the
target
is trapped and unable to move. And once it does land,
be ready to move because you'll probably get pounced.